Published: Friday, March 29, 2013 at 9:14 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 29, 2013 at 9:14 p.m.

Local businessman Gervais Hollowell believes it's possible to be a "zero" and still be a hero.

The owner of the Little River Roasting Co. and downtown Coffee Bar has partnered with Joseph McMillin, principal of Spartanburg-based Junk Matters LLC, to take his company's recycling methods to the next level.

McMillin recently launched his Commercial Zero Waste program in an effort to help businesses, restaurants and schools decrease their environmental footprint and keep at least 90 percent of their trash out of local landfills. Little River is his first customer in the program.

"We are very excited to partner with" McMillin, Hollowell said. "I had read about him. He came in and introduced himself and pitched the idea to me … I thought I knew about recycling, but I realized that I had a lot to learn … He has a passion that is just contagious. I think this is a great way for us to do our part and make our customers happy at the same time."

McMillin spent Thursday and Friday helping the coffee maker get whipped into shape. He taught employees how to separate and store items. His company will pick up the trash weekly and take it to a commercial composter in North Carolina.

The Coffee Bar has replaced all of its cups, lids, straws, cutlery, containers, trash bags and other items with products provided through McMillin's connection with Colorado-based ECO-Products Inc.

ECO specializes in making products from renewable, compostable materials, such as "corn plastics" instead of the traditional petroleum-based plastics. The company also boasts a commitment to using a higher content of post-consumer fibers than other "recycled" brands.

Hollowell said he's paying a little bit more for the products—maybe 2 or 3 cents more per cup—but he said there's "no comparison" in quality, and he expects to mitigate some of the expense by increased sales and decreased disposal costs.

"It costs about $50 per ton to dump trash in a landfill," McMillin said. "It's about $25 per ton for commercial composting"

Little River's coffee grounds and filters were already compostable, and McMillin said the new ECO products will reduce the business's non-compostable waste to only a few items, such as tea bags and some packaging materials.

"We have always recognized the importance of being green and have tried to do little things here and there," said Joey Geier, general manager of the Coffee Bar. "Our customers in general have a desire to do their part for the environment, and now they will be able to feel better when they take our products out of here. We feel a lot better about it ... I hope people get excited about it."

McMillin said that it's important to think about using materials that are biodegradable, but the act of composting keeps trash out of the environment. Compost has the added bonus of being a renewable resource for farmers.

Hollowell said the partnership has inspired him to start composting at home.

"The biggest part of the battle is education," he said. "My wife's already getting tired of hearing my ideas. I realized there are so many things we throw in the trash that can be composted."

McMillin, 21, recently graduated from Wofford College with a Bachelor of Science in psychology.

During his sophomore year, he took part in the school's Success Initiative, a program open to students of all majors that emphasizes innovation and creative problem solving through experience.

He was mentored by Wofford alumni and local business leaders Nick Wildrick and John Bauknight, who started their entrepreneurial careers with the document destruction company Shred First LLC.

During his junior year, McMillin decided to quit the football team and focus solely on launching his business with resources provided by Wofford's Mungo Center for Professional Excellence.

Like many of his classmates enrolled at the center, McMillin wanted to develop a concept that would be successful and make a positive impact on the community.

He has two employees and several customers in Spartanburg and Greenville counties. McMillin said he hopes to continue to grow his concept and offer innovative services that will help lead to a local paradigm shift in waste disposal.

"We're a recycling company, not a garbage company," McMillin said. "After three years of research, I'm excited to put the program into action. I hope others will jump on board."

<p>Local businessman Gervais Hollowell believes it's possible to be a "zero" and still be a hero.</p><p>The owner of the Little River Roasting Co. and downtown Coffee Bar has partnered with Joseph McMillin, principal of Spartanburg-based Junk Matters LLC, to take his company's recycling methods to the next level.</p><p>McMillin recently launched his Commercial Zero Waste program in an effort to help businesses, restaurants and schools decrease their environmental footprint and keep at least 90 percent of their trash out of local landfills. Little River is his first customer in the program.</p><p>"We are very excited to partner with" McMillin, Hollowell said. "I had read about him. He came in and introduced himself and pitched the idea to me … I thought I knew about recycling, but I realized that I had a lot to learn … He has a passion that is just contagious. I think this is a great way for us to do our part and make our customers happy at the same time."</p><p>McMillin spent Thursday and Friday helping the coffee maker get whipped into shape. He taught employees how to separate and store items. His company will pick up the trash weekly and take it to a commercial composter in North Carolina.</p><p>The Coffee Bar has replaced all of its cups, lids, straws, cutlery, containers, trash bags and other items with products provided through McMillin's connection with Colorado-based ECO-Products Inc. </p><p>ECO specializes in making products from renewable, compostable materials, such as "corn plastics" instead of the traditional petroleum-based plastics. The company also boasts a commitment to using a higher content of post-consumer fibers than other "recycled" brands.</p><p>Hollowell said he's paying a little bit more for the products—maybe 2 or 3 cents more per cup—but he said there's "no comparison" in quality, and he expects to mitigate some of the expense by increased sales and decreased disposal costs. </p><p>"It costs about $50 per ton to dump trash in a landfill," McMillin said. "It's about $25 per ton for commercial composting"</p><p>Little River's coffee grounds and filters were already compostable, and McMillin said the new ECO products will reduce the business's non-compostable waste to only a few items, such as tea bags and some packaging materials.</p><p>"We have always recognized the importance of being green and have tried to do little things here and there," said Joey Geier, general manager of the Coffee Bar. "Our customers in general have a desire to do their part for the environment, and now they will be able to feel better when they take our products out of here. We feel a lot better about it ... I hope people get excited about it."</p><p>McMillin said that it's important to think about using materials that are biodegradable, but the act of composting keeps trash out of the environment. Compost has the added bonus of being a renewable resource for farmers.</p><p>Hollowell said the partnership has inspired him to start composting at home.</p><p>"The biggest part of the battle is education," he said. "My wife's already getting tired of hearing my ideas. I realized there are so many things we throw in the trash that can be composted."</p><p>McMillin, 21, recently graduated from Wofford College with a Bachelor of Science in psychology.</p><p>During his sophomore year, he took part in the school's Success Initiative, a program open to students of all majors that emphasizes innovation and creative problem solving through experience.</p><p>He was mentored by Wofford alumni and local business leaders Nick Wildrick and John Bauknight, who started their entrepreneurial careers with the document destruction company Shred First LLC.</p><p>During his junior year, McMillin decided to quit the football team and focus solely on launching his business with resources provided by Wofford's Mungo Center for Professional Excellence.</p><p>Like many of his classmates enrolled at the center, McMillin wanted to develop a concept that would be successful and make a positive impact on the community.</p><p>He has two employees and several customers in Spartanburg and Greenville counties. McMillin said he hopes to continue to grow his concept and offer innovative services that will help lead to a local paradigm shift in waste disposal.</p><p>"We're a recycling company, not a garbage company," McMillin said. "After three years of research, I'm excited to put the program into action. I hope others will jump on board."</p><p>For more information, visit: www.junkmattersllc.com.</p>